Ingrid Pat Laing Holt IL PG BSc PhD PhD, DSc, FRCPath, FRCPI, FAA Head, Children's Respiratory Science Emeritus Honorary Researcher 6319 1828 Ingrid.laing@telethonkids.org.au@hotmail.cmo Patrick.Holt@telethonkids.org.au Honorary Research Fellow ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
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Obesity is a contributing factor to asthma severity; while it has long been understood that obesity is related to greater asthma burden, the mechanisms though which this occurs have not been fully elucidated. One common explanation is that obesity mechanically reduces lung volume through accumulation of adipose tissue external to the thoracic cavity. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2024
• April 2024

Up to one-third of young people live with chronic physical conditions (eg, diabetes, asthma, and autoimmune disease) that frequently involve recurrent pain, fatigue, activity limitations, stigma, and isolation. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• September 2023

Research question: Are asthma and allergies more common in adolescents conceived with assisted reproductive technologies (ART) compared with adolescents conceived without? ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• July 2022

Excessive production, secretion, and retention of abnormal mucus is a pathological feature of many obstructive airways diseases including asthma. Azithromycin is an antibiotic that also possesses immunomodulatory and mucoregulatory activities, which may contribute to the clinical effectiveness of azithromycin in asthma. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
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• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• May 2022

Despite advances in asthma therapeutics, the burden remains highest in preschool children; therefore, it is critical to identify primary care tools that distinguish preschool children at high risk for burdensome disease for further evaluation. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• October 2022

Biodiesel, which can be made from a variety of natural oils, is currently promoted as a sustainable, healthier replacement for commercial mineral diesel despite little experimental data supporting this. The aim of our research was to investigate the health impacts of exposure to exhaust generated by the combustion of diesel and two different biodiesels. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
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• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• March 2023

Lung transcriptomics studies in asthma have provided valuable information in the whole lung context, however, deciphering the individual contributions of the airway and parenchyma in disease pathogenesis may expedite the development of novel targeted treatment strategies. In this study, we performed transcriptomics on the airway and parenchyma using a house dust mite (HDM)-induced model of experimental asthma that replicates key features of the human disease. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• January 2023

This article provides a contemporary report on the role of adipose tissue in respiratory dysfunction. Adipose tissue is distributed throughout the body, accumulating beneath the skin (subcutaneous), around organs (visceral), and importantly in the context of respiratory disease, has recently been shown to accumulate within the airway wall: "airway-associated adipose tissue." Excessive adipose tissue deposition compromises respiratory function and increases the severity of diseases such as asthma. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• January 2023

Patients with comorbid asthma-obesity experience greater disease severity and are less responsive to therapy. We have previously reported adipose tissue within the airway wall that positively correlated with body mass index. Accumulation of biologically active adipose tissue may result in the local release of adipokines and disrupt large and small airway function depending on its anatomical distribution. This study therefore characterized airway-associated adipose tissue distribution, lipid composition, and adipokine activity in a porcine model. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• February 2023

In asthma, a significant portion of the interaction between genetics and environment occurs through microbiota. The proposed mechanisms behind this interaction are complex and at times contradictory. This review covers recent developments in our understanding of this interaction: the "microbial hypothesis" and the "farm effect"; the role of endotoxin and genetic variation in pattern recognition systems; the interaction with allergen exposure; the additional involvement of host gut and airway microbiota; the role of viral respiratory infections in interaction with the 17q21 and CDHR3 genetic loci; and the importance of in utero and early-life timing of exposures. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• March 2021

Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Human Rhinovirus are the most frequent cause of respiratory tract infections in infants and children and are major triggers of acute viral bronchiolitis, wheezing and asthma exacerbations. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2020
• September 2020